1. I once mentioned to John Cocke that I occasionally sold baloons in Central Part, mostly for the fun of it. Every time I saw him thereafter he would ask, “How’s the baloon business, Dave?”

John was famous for wandering the halls in Yorktown. He would stop in someone’s office, ask what they were up to, make a few suggestions, some of which would then keep them busy for days of weeks. He would then depart. When he returned again, weeks or months later, he would often resume a discussion in mid-sentence.